Transmission



Dec. 15, 1953 R. c. HOFFMAN 2,662,800

TRANSMISSION Original Filed June 17, 194'? IN V EN TOR. 770.5606 C. 6/757/4/1 Patented Dec. 15, 1953 TRANSIWISSION Roscoe C. Hofiman, Detroit, Mich.

Original application June 17, 1947-, Serial No. 755,212 nowlatent No. 2,572,480, dated October 23, 1951. Divided and this application April 7, 1951, Serial No. 219,789

2 claims. (Cl. 308 207) 1 This application is a division of "my previously filed copending application Serial No. 755,212 (now Patent No. 2,572,480, issued October 23, 1951) filed June 17, 1947.

The clutch driven plate I is secured to a hub l which is in splined engagement with a shaft 12 which is the driving shaft of the transmission. At its front end shaft I 2 is piloted as by bearing The present invention relates to change speed 5 means l3 in the rear end of the crankshaft. gear transmissions, particularly for automotive The flywheel 2 and the clutch mechanism vehicles, and has as its principal object the proabove described are enclosed in a bell-shaped vision of an improved and simplified transmishousing II which is int gr l w h a r case ll sion particularly adapted for installation in in which all the shafts and gears of the transcrowdecl quarters, as for example in vehicles mission are assembled. wherein the engine is located transversely, as in Driving shaft assembly rear engine, rear (lllVe passenger automobiles.

Another object is to incorporate in such a The dllvmg Shaft 18 Supported rotatably in transmission improved means for taking up two axially spaced bearings 13 and I4 located in mg clearance the fore and aft walls of the gear case I l. Two

Other objects and advantages will be apparent sears and 23, 011 bushings 33, p upon consideration of the present disclosure in ill/61v, are mounted 0n the Shaft l2 a t the its entirety bearings 13 and [4, so that these gears are free The single figure of drawing is a central, longito rotate on said shaft when they are not under tudinal, sectional view of a transmission incorpO- load when they are not coupled t0 rating the principles of the present invention Both of the gears 15 and 23 are characterized by a set of clutch teeth i6 and 22 and a cone face The mam Clutch [8 and 2!, respectively, the clutch teeth and the The transmission forming subject matter of Cone faces being elements of a conventional syn this invention employs positive toothed slidable chronizins Clutch mechanism which is interposed coupling means for controlling the action of the between the gears 15 and 23 for Coup er gears for the several speeds, and for that reason ne of them to the shaft l2 in a silent manner requires a, clutch for disconnecting the power for power drive. Shiftable clutch collar I9 is source during the coupling and uncoupling of the movable in either direction from the central or driveg For this purpose it operates in conjuncneutral pOSllliOIl in which it is shown in full lines tion with a main clutch which may, as shown, be in the d w S he S f 5, ac a d y the of generally conventiona1 arrangement, Th lever 87 and the crank 95, moves the collar I 9 main clutch is assembled on a face 14 of a fiytoward either One Of the gears 15 23, the dewheel 2 bolted t a flange |A formed on t tent ball 84 will be forced out of the central crankshaft i of an engine which is not otherwise groove 85 and thereby will allow the collar l9 illustrated, since it forms no part of this invenbe displaced into either 0118 Of its end p tion, The clutch comprises ahousing 8111 which tlons I90, 01 I91). This action enables the (301- a clutch pressure plate 3 is carried in such a 811' I9 to be pp d o a ment With the manner that it is driven in the angular direction u h teeth I8 or 29 Without c sh and est is sudabie axially. Upon t m t 3 bear, tablishes a coupled relationship of either the gear inside the housing 8, springs 9' urging the plate gear 23 With the shaft 12. forcibly toward the flywheel 2. Between faces it and i5 of the flywheel 2 and the pressure plate Intermediate Shaft assembly 3, respectively, is included a driven plate I 0, with The gears d 23 are i onstant mesh with friction lining thereon, which is normally held in their mating rs 34 and 33, respectively, which compression between the pressure plate and 113 latter two gears are both an integral p t f a Wheer cluster 8!, as are two other gears 35 and 36 on The pressure plate 3 can be withdrawn from the left side of the gear 36. The whole gear clusengagement with the driven plate I0 to release 81 is Supported l'otetably O two oppositely the clutch by a number of fingers 4 pivoting about tapered 1'011er-bea1i1ig mbl es 3? and 38 Studs 5 in t housing 3 and connected t t which are carried on a nonrotatable intermediate plate 3 at pivot 5 forbacking it away from the driven plate It when the fingers 4 are acted upon by a thrust bearing 1 through the instrumentality of outside release means (not shown) in the well known manner.

shaft 3i. Shaft 3! projects slidably through the forward wall of the gear case H for support in parallel relationship to the shaft l2, and at its other end is so supported in the opposite one of said walls as to permit taking up any clearance that may develop in the countershaft bearings 31, 38. This supporting and take-up means includes a head I3I on the end of the shaft 3| forming a shoulder I32 bearing against the inner race or cone of the tapered bearing assembly 38. It will also be noted that the cone I31 of the other tapered bearing assembly bears against the gear case wall.

The head I3I is supported in an opening I39 formed in a supporting plate I40 attached to the inner face of the gear case rear wall by cap screws I4. A cover plate I closes the outer end of opening I39 and covers the shaft head I3I, being secured to supporting plate I40 by cap screws I45, and additional cap-screw means as I42 extend through the cover plate into one or more tapped openings in the end of shaft 3I to hold the shaft against endwise movement. Shim means as I44 is interposed between the end of the shaft and the gear case wall. It will be seen that by changing the thickness of the shim means, the position of the shaft 3I can be axially adjusted to simultaneously correct clearance that may develop in either or both of the bearings 31, 38.

Final drive-shaft assembly A third shaft in parallel relationship to the shafts i2 and SI, constitutes the final drive shaft of the transmission for power take-off; it is carried rotatably in two bearings 59 and 69 in the end walls of the gear case II, and positioned on it next to the bearing "if: is a gear 54 which is in mesh with the gear 33 of the cluster 3i. The gear 5-4 is fitted with a bushing 57 on the shaft 5%) for free rotation thereon when not under power.

Integral with the gear 54 is a set of clutch teeth 58 and a cone face adjacent thereto, these being elements of a synchronizing clutch mechanism analogous to that disclosed hereinabove on the shaft I2.

Also carried rotatably on the shafts 58, next to the bearing is a sleeve 33 which runs on bushings SI and 82 and which is characterized by a splined periphery 52, the splines extending over i 5 major portion from the bearing 59 toward its opposite end whereat the sleeve 43 is provided with a set of clutch teeth 44 and acone face 45 adajcent thereto at the axial extremity. These teeth and cone face constitute the engaging means on the sleep 43 for the aforementioned synchronizing clutch.

On the splines 42 of the sleeve 43 is mounted slidably a gear which is movable lengthwise between three functional positions by a shifter 4| engaging the gear in a groove 46.

The mechanism for shifting the gear 39 by means of the shifter 4| is similar to that described in connection with the collar I9 and includes a crank 84 which holds, on a swivel, the shifter it. The crank 94 is rocked angularly by a shaft 93 in the wall of the gear case II and by an outside lever 92, the 'ocking motion of the crank being confined between three operational positions as established by three grooves 9| in proper angular spacing on the arcuate perimeter of the crank 34. A detent ball 9 i, forcibly backed by a spring 89,, drops into the groove 9I defining any one of the three positions of the shifter 4! and the gear 32 and yieldably holds them in that position until dislodged forcibly by the lever 32 and transferred into another groove.

The collar 47 of the synchronizing clutch has a peripheral groove 52 for a shifter 53 and is movable from its central or neutral position, sideways into either one of its extreme axial positions in mesh with either the teeth 44 on the sleeve 43, or the teeth 53 on the gear 54.

The mechanism for providing the shifter 53 and the collar 41 with their translatory movement and for locking them in their middle as well as extreme end positions is substantially the same as that described hereinabove in connection with the shifter 25.

Located on and near the extremities of the shaft 55 adjacent the bearings 59 and 56, respectively, and secured to said shaft by means of splines 61 and 96 are a universal joint 65 and a speedometer drive gear 64 respectively. The universal joint 66 couples the shaft SE: to a vehicle propelling shaft II; the speedometer drive gear meshes with a mating gear in a housing 3 for a speedometer shaft take-off.

Functional description of the transmission The various gears and shafts of this embodiment in their particular and novel relationship as disclosed hereinabove, can produce four different speed ratios in the forward direction of a vehicle and two in the reverse, these ratios being obtainable by operating the three shifters in such a manner as to establish certain combinations between the gears as disclosed.

The lowest forward speed ratio is obtained from neutral as follows: The shifter 4I slides the gear 33 from neutral towards the right into mesh with the gear 3%, the shifter 25 moves the collar I ii into mesh with the teeth 22, thereby coupling the shaft i2 to the gear 23, which drives the cluster 3! including the gear 35. The latter gear, by virtue of being in mesh with the gear 39 on the shaft 5%, drives the sleeve 43 on the same shaft. In order to couple the sleeve 43 to the shaft 58 for final drive, the shifter 53 is then moved into its extreme left position whereby the collar 41 will engage the teeth 44 and thereby transmit power from the sleeve 53 into the shaft to.

It may be observed that as many as three dis tinct shifting operations are required to put the transmission into gear for one particular ratio. Two of these, i. e., the shifting of the two synchronizing clutch collars I9 and 4!, can be effected. simultaneously, but for either this simultaneous shift, or for the shift of the gear 39 into mesh with the gear 35, a declutching operation of the clutch plate 4 is a prerequisite in the same manner as in shifting the gears of conventional vehicle transmissions.

An intermediate second speed is obtained by retaining the gear 3% and the collar 4'! in engagement with their mating members 35 and 43, respectively, and moving the collar is by means of the shifter 25 into engagement with the gear I5 through the speed synchronizing procedure hereinabove described. The flow of power then will be through the shaft !2 into the hub I l, the collar ill, the gears 55, 34, and 39, the sleeve 43, the collar 41, the hub 22, and the shaft 50.

Another intermediate or third speed put into operation by leaving the collar IS in engagement with the gear 23 as in the second speed, and shifting the collar ti into engagement with the gear 54 through the synchronizing action of the mechanism hereinabove described. This operation releases the gear 3El from positive engagement.

A high gear ratio which may give an overdrive eifect is obtainable in the novel transmission of this description by retaining the collar 41 in engagement with the gear 54, and shifting the collar I 9 into engagement with the gear I5. The active gears will then be the gears I5, 34, 33, and 54.

It will be apparent that variations and modifications may be introduced without departing from the fair and intended scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. Means for adjustably journaling a rotatable body within a case which has an opening in one wall thereof and which also has a supporting portion spaced from but substantially aligned with said opening, a stationary spindle adapted to be carried at one end by said supporting portion, a closure member for said opening, said spindle being longitudinally movable in said supporting portion and removable through said opening, means for securing said spindle to the closure in different longitudinal positions, and a pair of oppositely facing tapered antifriction bearings supported by said spindle and adapted to journal a rotatable body, one of said bearings having a race portion longitudinally movable with the spindle and the other bearing having a race portion held against such longitudinal movement.

2. Means for adjustably journaling a rotatable 6 body within a case which has an opening in one wall thereof and which also has a supporting portion spaced from but substantially aligned with said opening, a stationary spindle adapted to be carried at one end by said supporting portion and at the other end by a portion of the case appurtenant to said opening, said spindle being longitudinally movable in said supporting portion and removable through said opening, means carried by the case for securing said spindle in 7 different longitudinal positions, and a pair of oppositely facing tapered antifriction bearings supported by said spindle and adapted to journal a. rotatable body, one of said bearings having a race portion longitudinally movable with the spindle and the other bearing having a race portion held against such longitudinal movement, the means for securing the spindle including a cap portion normally closing said opening.

ROSCOE C. HOFFMAN.

Name Date Wright Oct. 8, 1946 Number 

